There is certainly something appealing about airplanes, especially those that came just before and during World War II. There is a grace in their design, a sharpness in their form, a kind of satisfaction as they soar through the skies. However, there is something about 3D animation that doesn’t always work and it always feels like it is boxy and clunky and inelegant. Thus, we have this confluence of approach with “The Magnificent Kotobuki” (“Kōya no Kotobuki Hikōtai,” or “Kotobuki Squadron in the Wilderness”) all the way around. (more…)

Ever been cornered or trapped or treed, the hounds baying at your feet and you were compelled to do something you normally wouldn’t? Yeah, as of late, owing to real problems I have in trying to watch my anime, I have been seeing shows that I would have walked away from, but since I can’t get my hands on anything, well, as W. C. Fields once said “It is time to grab the bull by the tail and face the situation.” Thus brings me, and you, and the rest of us out there, to this, “Domestic Girlfriend” (“Domesutikku na Kanojo”). (more…)

Why do I keep doing this to myself? I keep going “That’s the last time I will EVER see a ‘Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure’ anime!” and the next time it comes around, I’m there. I know that it makes less sense than a presidential executive order, but I can’t help myself, and for this latest turn “Golden Wind” (“JoJo no Kimyō na Bōken Ōgon no Kaze”), it makes even less sense as it goes along. (more…)

Can you run out of ideas for adventure shows? I mean, we can go to the depths of the oceans, the outer reaches of space, the darkest cave, the highest mountain, the hottest desert, even what lies underneath your very feet in the big city. What else can you do? Well, what happens when a continent appears out of nowhere in the Pacific Ocean? Adventure calls, which is what happens in “Magmell of the Sea Blue” (“Gunjō no Magumeru, or “Ultramarine Magmell”). (more…)

OK, we have been busily killing goblins, now it is time to take on demons. But these demons are of a harder, more pernicious nature and even the best of your skills may still come up short. I mean, you have morality; they have sharp claws. See where that gets you. But this is the driving force behind Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (“Kimetsu no Yaiba”, or “Demon-Slaying Blade”). (more…)

I knew this series was going to cause trouble, but I didn’t realize how controversial it would become, especially in the depiction of all the violence that befalls practically everyone in this series. Also, the caliber of it as well was unsettling to many, so it was just a large plate for all. This is “Goblin Slayer” (“Goburin Sureiyā”). (more…)

Does anyone remember Screaming Yellow Zonkers? When I was growing up, it was my favorite snack food, although, to be honest, this truly was the definition of junk food. It was incredibly bad for you and, in those days, absolutely loaded with preservatives and food coloring and BHA and BHT and and and other nasty things for a growing body. I knew they were terrible, THEY knew it was terrible, everyone and their grandmother KNEW they were terrible. You would be better off licking toads, but I just couldn’t pass them by (the Zonkers, not the toads). I bring up this story from my past to explain why I chased after the second season of “Gyakuten Saiban: Sono “Shinjitsu”, Igiari!” (“Turnabout Trial: I Object to That ‘Truth’!”). (more…)

Yeah, this is a magical boy show. There are probably a lot of them out there, but this is more aligned with Harry Potter than Sailor Moon. And if we are doing the crossover, it would be a merging of Harry Potter and Perry Mason (OK, potentially closer to Judge Dredd, but without the Stallone Snarl and someone barking out “I AM the law!”) We are at “Muhyo & Roji’s Bureau of Supernatural Investigation” (“Muhyo to Rōjī no Mahōritsu Sōdan Jimusho”, also known as “Muhyo & Roji”). (more…)

There are a group of fictional characters that have been played to death, either in movie or on stage. These include such ‘people’ as James Bond, Frankenstein’s monster, Hamlet and Sherlock Holmes. This also includes anyone billed as such, like “Basil of Baker Street”, which was a cartoon approach to Sherlock, and, with what you have with this show, “Kyōto Teramachi Sanjō no Holmes” (or, “Kyōto Teramachi Sanjō no Hōmuzu”, or “Holmes of Kyoto”). (more…)

There is always a problem when you try to put together a show about the human body. For the most part, the body is seen as some kind of community or village or great megalopolis (think like “Osmosis Jones”) and how everyone gets along together, but the analogies don’t always work well, especially when to have to show how things function. But we make a real attempt with “Cells at Work.” (“Hataraku Saibō”). (more…)